19 Makeup Brands to Check Out

*This post contains affiliate links**UPDATED* Nars just decided to start selling in China
I mentioned last week that I would take this week to talk about makeup. I felt it was very important to serparate hair care and skincare from makeup. Like I mentioned in last week’s post, makeup is a HUGE challenge in itself and figuring out which brands are cruelty free can be an ever bigger hassle. This week, I am going to just list all of the cruelty free makeup brands I have found and where you can buy them. If you’re like me, I prefer shopping online over going to a store, so if I find links for certain products I have tried, I’ll be sure to link them at the end of the post.

I have to say that finding cruelty free makeup has been the hardest part of this journey, but don’t let that discourage you. That’s why I’m here to help. I’ve done a lot of reading since I decided to switch and, I’m hoping, that I can help answer your questions and ease your doubts about whether or not you, too, could make the switch. I promise this is something everyone can start doing. However, be realistic. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to do it all at once, it is, after all, a process. Give yourself a break every once in a while. Anyway, here’s that list:

*Parent companies either test on animals or test where required by law (i.e. China)

This list is not a comprehensive list, by any means, but it is a list of the most common, easy to come by brands. Most of the brands I listed can be found at places like Ulta and Sephora or even Walmart and Target! I will say that Hard Candy, in particular, is a Walmart specific brand, but I have liked all of their products I have tried so far. Good news is that the other brands should be fairly easy to find in most other beauty stores! I have NOT tried all of these brands. These are brands that I have tried most of OR have been highly recommended to me by people I trust.

Honestly, I could have listed off a bunch of brands that are cruelty free, but you’ve probably never heard of, but, while I do think variety is important, it is not the most important thing. Simplifying this process to encourage everyone to switch to a cruelty free beauty regime, I think, is a good place to start. I can walk into my local Ulta (I prefer Ulta over Sephora for several reasons) and find most of the brands I listed above fairly easily. And, if you’re like me, simplicity is my safe haven. I can’t even walk into a Forever21 without feeling incredibly drained and overwhelmed within a few minutes. Needless to say, I have bought MAYBE a handful of items, if that, from Forever21 since our mall opened one of these chaotic stores five or so years ago. So, moral of the story, I need simple and straightforward.

I promise that I have used at least half of these brands. The ones I haven’t, I only haven’t because I’m trying to save money. That endeavor is not going as well as I hoped with this wedding planning madness! I’m trying to enjoy it… Anyway, I will list several products below that I have tried from some of these brands along with links to buy them through Amazon (I’ll sort them by use):

BROWS

Anastasia of Beverly Hills Brow Definer:
This product comes in several different shades and lasts me FOREVER. Seriously. It’s worth the money.

LASHES

Physicians Formula:
This is one product I only VERY recently have tried. I think, for a drug store product, it works very well. Plus, it has added fibers to help add length to your lashes.

Tarte:
I know, this parent company tests on animals, but I have tried their mascara and I’m not going to judge someone for using a *technically* cruelty free brand. Plus, their mascara is really good.

IT Cosmetics:
Okay, so if you read my introduction to cruelty free beauty post, you’ll know how devastated I was when L’Oreal bought out IT Cosmetics last year… That being said, I can’t talk about mascara and not mention the IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara, it’s, by far, one of the best mascaras I have tried!

Bare Minerals:
I used to only use Bare Minerals EVERYTHING, but my early twenties haven’t been kind to my skin, so far, so I changed my whole makeup routine up… However, I will still recommend the Bare Minerals mascara because I always had very good results with this mascara brand!

Merle Norman:
Merle Norman’s mascara is also very good! It’s a little on the pricier side and I’m pretty sure you have to go to one of their stores for their products, but I still definitely recommend it if you have a store near you!

EYELINER

e.l.f:
This particular liquid liner pen is amazing! The tip is a little on the thick side, but it’s very easily controlled and it’s one of my favorite liners! You should also be able to find this at any local beauty store!

FOUNDATION

IT Cosmetics:
I’m still so attached to this brand! But this CC cream is amazing. I have used this CC cream for the past year and it’s been my favorite so I’m on the hunt for a new foundation and/or CC cream. I know, this one isn’t cheap by any means, but it does last a while..

HIGHLIGHT, CONTOUR, BRONZER, & BLUSH

Anastasia of Beverly Hills:
Surprise, surprise, I have the Anastasia of Beverly Hills highlight and contour kit (thanks to one of my best friends)! I think it gets the job done, for the most part, but, for me, only one of the contour shades is really usable because the other two are incredibly dark on my fair skin! But they’re gorgeous tones all in all!

e.l.f.:
Elf again! This brand really is a hidden gem! I use their baked highlighter and one of their blushes. Not the most pigmented products, but they get the job done!

EYESHADOW

Wet n’ Wild:
This brand is another hidden gem. They have some seriously gorgeous eyeshadow palettes! Check this one out! (It’s one of my favorites!)

e.l.f.:
Surprise! I actually bought a HUGE palette of theirs that was in stores around the holidays, but I can’t seem to find that exact one.. I’m assuming it may have just been a holiday special.. These are similar ones below! (If you can’t tell, I’m a neutral girl when it comes to eyeshadows!)

Bare Minerals:
While I don’t really use this brand anymore, I will say that they’ve always had some gorgeous eyeshadow palettes! Also, nothing is wrong with Bare Mineral’s products, I stopped using them because the mineral foundation seemed to be drying on my already dry skin, that’s the ONLY reason!

LIPSTICK

Bare Minerals:
Okay, this particular part is a little difficult because I don’t normally wear lipstick, honestly… BUT Bare Minerals has some beautiful colors! These would probably be good “samples” to try.

ColourPop:
Okay, so honestly I haven’t tried this brand yet, because I just don’t wear lipstick often. However, one of my best friend’s does wear these lipsticks and they are all gorgeous on her!

Those pretty much cover my makeup basics! I know I mentioned a lot of Bare Minerals products, but, like I said, I only used this brand for a long time, so I do have a lot of experience with this brand. However, I am continuously expanding my cruelty free product reach (as much as I can afford to at this moment). I think it is very important for people to understand how easy this process can really be. There is absolutely no reason that people can’t start transitioning to cruelty free products in their every day lives, slowly but surely. As always, I hope you enjoyed this week’s post and remember to share and comment with any questions for suggestions!

xoxo,
Amy

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